Welcome,
I’m Dr. Maury Hayashida
My Story
I am originally from Hawaii but raised in Zambia and Kenya. Growing up in Africa exposed me to a lot of cross-cultural disparities, one of which is the limited access to physical rehabilitation services for people-group’s that are dependent on high-capacity human function for their daily survival. Thus began a lifelong inquiry into the science of human movement and its role in shaping life and the human experience.
Santa Barbara, California has been home for most of my professional life. Most of my career has revolved around my outpatient orthopedic and sports therapy practices. I have also had the privilege of leading sports medicine programs for USA Rugby, international professional rugby teams, and working with a variety of individual professional athletes. Now, most of my time is working alongside individuals across many ages and stages of life who are seeking to move & feel better as a 'way of life'.
Over the years, my professional journey has continually brought me back to my early experiences of living abroad as a child. Those formative years shaped my belief that everyone has a right to learn how to care for their physical well-being, as the body is our one and only vessel for navigating life. The way we inhabit and experience our bodies ultimately shapes who we are, offering mental, emotional, and even spiritual insights that enrich our lives. It is truly a privilege for me to work with people in this deeply personal and meaningful way.
What I Do
I examine and treat human movement 'dysfunction' whether pain is involved or not. All of us have varying levels of 'less-than-optimal' movement for a variety of reasons; most of which are cumulative over time. Eventually, because of a loss of mobility, movement (motor) control, or strength we begin to lose function/performance or begin to experience pain from tissues in the body that have reached a level of sensitivity that elicits a pain response within the nervous system.
I believe as a society we can do a better job at addressing this gradual decline of movement quality by starting early and educating better. My clinical training as a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) with board specialization in orthopedics & sports and my research doctorate in rehabilitation and movement science (PhD, *pending) provide me with an evidenced-based approach to analyzing, treating, and training the many systems in the body that create a symphony of human motion. Technological instruments provide us with emerging ways to document and measure human movement, providing us with a better "diagnosis", and thus the chance at a better outcome.
Movement Science
Tekscan Pressure Mapping
Markerless Motion Capture
How I Do It
Movement is a singular and unique quality for each of us, and thus analysis and intervention must be personalized. There is no other way to achieve success other than assessing individual movement patterns, identifying underlying neurological and biomechanical inefficiencies, and understanding the dynamic relationship between treating mobility, training movement, and how ones lifestyle impacts their future.
Learning about and understanding the individual comes first. I am generally curious about people—what motivates them, what matters to them, and how they perceive themselves, their bodies, and their environment. I believe like in most areas of life, it is more important 'how' you do something versus 'what' you do. To make meaningful physical changes to movement patterns, a clear understanding of personality, beliefs, fears, and desires are necessary to achieve meaningful and lasting changes to human function. The fascinating part is as we learn to move and function better in life, our beliefs and perspectives about ourselves in the world expands and is positively impacted by our ability to physically engage life.
T3 Approach
‘Testing’ involves physical examination and movement screening using clinical and instrumented methods to establish a ‘movement diagnosis’
‘Training’ consists of optimal movement repetitions tailored toward the demands unique to each individual; otherwise known as therapeutic and conditioning exercises
‘Treating’ entails skilled manual therapy and movement re-education.
